History UsefulNotes / Rwanda

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}} in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, but the difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization. The two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since the dawn of an Imperial, Tutsi Dynasty that once expanded over the region, forcing the conquered peoples into a subservient caste. The empire lasted for centuries even after Europeans came in and even left, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

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Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}} in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, but the difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization. The two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since the dawn of an Imperial, Imperial Tutsi Dynasty that once expanded over the region, forcing the conquered peoples into a subservient caste. The empire lasted for centuries even after Europeans came in and even left, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, but the difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization. The two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since the dawn of an Imperial, Tutsi Dynasty that once expanded over the region, forcing the conquered peoples into a subservient caste. The empire lasted for centuries even after Europeans came in and even left, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

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Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}} in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, but the difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization. The two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since the dawn of an Imperial, Tutsi Dynasty that once expanded over the region, forcing the conquered peoples into a subservient caste. The empire lasted for centuries even after Europeans came in and even left, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

The genocide ended when the RPF managed to take control of the country and, while they did engaged in revenge against the Hutus, today things are more peaceful (though some accuse Paul Kagame, the incumbent president and leader of the RPF, of not relinquishing power). This peace, so to speak, was achieved mainly by exporting the problem: both Tutsis and Hutus exilled themselves in neighboring Zaire and started fighting there, a leading cause of the CongoWars.

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The genocide ended when the RPF managed to take control of the country and, while they did engaged in revenge against the Hutus, today things are more peaceful (though some accuse Paul Kagame, the incumbent president and leader of the RPF, of not relinquishing power). This peace, so to speak, was achieved mainly by exporting the problem: both Tutsis and Hutus exilled themselves in neighboring Zaire UsefulNotes/{{Zaire}} and started fighting there, a leading cause of the CongoWars.UsefulNotes/TheCongoWars.

->In 2001 the government replaced the red-yellow-green flag of Rwanda (itself using the Ethiopian variant of the Pan-African colors) due to its association with the genocide. This change was meant to symbolize a more optimistic direction for Rwanda; the upper half is colored blue for happiness and peace; the lower half's yellow and green stripes symbolizes economic progress and hope of prosperity, respectively; and the golden sun on the upper right quarter symbolizes enlightenment.

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->In 2001 the government replaced the red-yellow-green flag of Rwanda (itself using the Ethiopian variant of the Pan-African colors) due to its association with the genocide. This change was meant to symbolize a more optimistic direction for Rwanda; the upper half is colored blue for happiness and peace; the lower half's yellow and green stripes symbolizes economic progress and hope of prosperity, respectively; and the golden sun on the upper right quarter symbolizes enlightenment.enlightenment.----

->''"It is not rare, even today, to hear Rwandans argue that a war is necessary to wipe our an excess of population and to bring numbers into line with the available land resources...the people whose children had to walk barefoot to school killed the people who [[TheSocialDarwinist could buy shoes for theirs.]]"''

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->''"It is not rare, even today, to hear Rwandans argue that a war is necessary to wipe our out an excess of population and to bring numbers into line with the available land resources...the people whose children had to walk barefoot to school killed the people who [[TheSocialDarwinist could buy shoes for theirs.]]"''

* ''HotelRwanda''. It tells the story of [[BadassPacifist Paul Rusesabagina]], a hotel manager who protected as many Tutsis and moderate Hutus in his hotel as he could from the genocide.

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* ''HotelRwanda''.''Film/HotelRwanda''. It tells the story of [[BadassPacifist Paul Rusesabagina]], a hotel manager who protected as many Tutsis and moderate Hutus in his hotel as he could from the genocide.

->''"It is not rare, even today, to hear Rwandans argue that a war is necessary to wipe our an excess of population and to bring numbers into line with the available land resources...the people whose children had to walk barefoot to school killed the people who [[TheSocialDarwinist could buy shoes for theirs.]]"''-->--'''James Diamond''', ''Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive''

* In the ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' episode "Filibuster", Tom has to deal with his girlfriend from Doctors Without Borders going to Rwanda. He mistakenly thinks this is a "vacation" and complains that "if I know anything about Rwanda, and I don't, I bet its full of rich guys who will buy her whatever she wants."

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* In the ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' episode "Filibuster", Tom has to deal with his girlfriend from Doctors Without Borders going to Rwanda. He mistakenly thinks this is a "vacation" and complains that "if I know anything about Rwanda, and I don't, I bet its it's full of rich guys who will buy her whatever she wants."

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, as the two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since time immemorial. The difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

to:

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, as but the two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since time immemorial. The difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization, colonization. The two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since the dawn of an Imperial, Tutsi Dynasty that once expanded over the region, forcing the conquered peoples into a subservient caste. The empire lasted for centuries even after Europeans came in and even left, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

Reason: \"Time immorial\" is not only false, bu rather tasteless and trivializing of the history

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